


Hide & Speak

by Durrr07



Series: Zutara Week [2019] [2]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Adorable, F/M, Family, Fluff, Momtara & Dadko, Zutara Week 2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-03
Updated: 2019-08-03
Packaged: 2020-07-29 21:25:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20089012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Durrr07/pseuds/Durrr07
Summary: A fun game of hide and seek forces Izumi to hear how the world feels about her family.Total fluff overload.Day 6 of Zutara Week: Found





	Hide & Speak

“---Four, five, six, seven---“

Little Izumi runs as fast as her little legs can take her to the open gardens. She still has 20 more seconds to find a hiding spot but she wants to get there fast. Her mother found a spot right away but Izumi thinks its way too easy. Dad will find her first for sure. _Maybe that’s what she wants?_ Izumi shakes her head clear and keeps going towards the gardens.

“Almost there.” She whispers to herself.

Upon reaching the gardens, she slides into the sunshine and immediately begins to search for the perfect hiding spot. Whenever she plays this with her Auntie Toph she has to hide higher up like in the trees or balcony’s. When she plays with her cousins she hides in the palace because they don’t know it as well as she does. But Dad’s tough at this game since he knows almost all of the best hiding spots. That’s why she is in the open gardens, the ones accessible to workers and noblemen and women. Dad and Mom know the family gardens by heart and they’ll find her really quick there.

She turns, and looks, and “THERE!” She spots a row of high bushes that she can definitely crawl underneath. She might get a little dirty but that’s what baths are for. Right?

Izumi makes it over to the bushes and she crawls underneath. Her hair gets snagged a few times and the mud starts seeping into her dress BUT she is completely hidden. Dad won’t find her for hours!

She stays quiet as she waits for him to find her.

She waits,

And waits,

And waits some more.

After what feels like forever, realistically 5 minutes, she hears voices. It sounds like ladies; ones she can’t quiet pin point. They’re getting louder so they must be getting closer---

“Mesi don’t even go there.” Laughter follows the statement.

“Oh come on, you don’t believe any of it Amari?”

Izumi sees feet come into her field of view. She sees two sets of legs so there must only be two people.

“No Mesi, I think you and the rest of those gossip queens are full of it.” The bite in her words is evident. Izumi keeps listening.

“So you really believe that some back—“ there is a pause as one pair of feet maneuver in a circle, “—country savage has been honest about this pregnancy?” 

“Well, I guess I believe it. I mean who else could it be?”

“You know they have no morals down there at the edge of the world. She could have anyone’s dirty spawn in that muddled sack she calls a belly.”

“Mesi---“ her tone is a warning in itself. Izumi continues to listen, trying to figure out what or who they are discussing.

“What? Afraid someone’s going to overhear? We’re alone, I can say what I want about that backwater witch.” 

A sigh.

“The Palace has ears Mesi. I wouldn’t—“ the one girl, Amari, is cut off.  
“Well since you never asked me of my thoughts on the matter—“

“You won’t shut up about your thoughts—“

“I think these are the Avatar’s twins.”

There is silence. Izumi’s eyes go wide. Is she talking about---

“Mesi!” The woman wants to yell but it comes out as a strained whisper. “How dare you insinuate such a thing! You really are looking for trouble.”  
“Oh get real Amari! They used to date you know? The Avatar and the savage. I bet she’s been keeping him as a little extra on the side if you understand what I—“

“I get it!”

It goes quiet again as another sigh escapes the irritated woman. Izumi fumes underneath the bushes. She’s almost eight, she can put two and two together. _This mean lady is talking about Uncle Aang and her mother. How dare she?!_ Izumi wants so badly to come out of her hiding place, but if she does then she loses the game and doesn’t get her reward, her favorite dessert, like they promised. So she stays quiet and tries to block out the annoying ladies.

“No need to get so upset Amari. As far as I can recall, you don’t care for the wench on the Queens seat as it is.” Izumi assumes this is that mean Mesi talking.

“No, at first I didn’t. But it’s been almost nine years since she has taken the throne Mesi and things are pretty great. Our education programs are divine, poverty levels are lower than Azulon’s reign, and citizens are generally happier all around.”

“Wait just a minute! How about we discuss the military that she forced our nation to downsize, the hand outs she gives to those filthy poor kids, AND all of the Fire Nation’s money and resources that she’s just handing out to those useless mud people and her savage friends? How about we discuss that?!” Mesi is so close to yelling that Izumi is certain that someone else can hear her.

“Mesi you keep your voice down now!”

“Or what? It’s not like no one else is talking about this. The whole capital is practically shouting about it.”

“Well then talk about it outside of these wall Mesi. You are being so disrespectful.”

It’s quiet for a moment. Izumi prays they will leave so she can hide in peace. She really isn’t enjoying these girls being so rude about her mother.

She can hear their feet settling over the grass as they walk away.

“Thank goodness.” She whispers.

“I promise that I’ll keep my mouth quiet within these walls if you answer me something that I’ve been thinking about for a while now.”

_Darn it! I thought they were leaving! They sound even closer now._ She looks out from under the bushes and see’s their feet by the bench. Oh great, they’re sitting down now!

Amari, the less rude one, takes a deep breath before answering. “Sure Mesi. What have you been thinking about?”

“Since the whole capital is certain that the Lady is lying about her savage twins, who do you think is the princess’s real father?”

Izumi’s veins freeze in her body. Her stomach drops and her heart lunges into her throat. She starts to hyperventilate.

“Mesi---“

“No really Amari! Do you think she’s the Avatars brat too? Or maybe that mustache fellow who comes by every year? Or I think it could be that handsome young Northern man. He’s still a savage but---“

Izumi runs. She runs right past those horrible women, straight into the Palace and she starts screaming.  
“Mommy! Daddy!”

Her tears start to blur her surroundings together. She can see two figures at the far end of the hallway but she keeps running and running until she runs straight into---

“Baby! What’s wrong? Are you okay??”

“What happened? Are you hurt?” 

She clings onto her mother’s legs, tears streaming down her cheeks as she tries to breathe. Her mother pulls her up and into her arms and holds her close while rubbing soothing circles into her back. She can feel the heat from her father’s hands as he hugs them both close.

“Sweetheart what happened?” Her mother asks before kissing her temple over and over again.

Izumi takes deep breaths, her hiccups coming to a steady flow that fills the quiet.

“I was hiding in the gardens waiting for Daddy to find me and there was a mean lady there.” Izumi looks up and to her mother’s face. “Am I really Uncle Aang’s daughter?”

Katara and Zuko share a look of utter heartache. Zuko jerks his head to the side and they move towards his office where they can have this conversation in private. Izumi goes back to hiding her face in Katara’s dress, crying loudly. 

“Shhhh, shhh Izumi. It’s okay.” Katara whispers in her ear.

They make it to the office and the second Zuko closes the door—

“Mommy please tell me!” Izumi cries, edging closer to hysterics. 

Katara sets her daughter down on the couch by the fireplace. She slowly kneels to the floor in front of her daughter, as best as she can at five months, and Zuko follows suit.

“Sweetheart listen to me.” Izumi looks forward and starts to calm. Katara continues, “No matter what anyone else in the world says about you or me or your father, you are absolutely our daughter.” Izumi automatically releases a deep breath of relief. “Your father and I had you almost eight years ago on a cold, rainy day.” Katara smiles at her daughter. “You remember the story right?”

Izumi nods. “Daddy fainted.” Katara’s smile widens. Zuko rolls his eyes.

“That’s right baby. Your father fainted.” She looks to Zuko.

“Hey, I was going on nearly no sleep and the amount of blood---“ the deadpan look Katara gives him shuts him up immediately. With a resonated sigh he says, “Yes, Daddy fainted.”

Izumi giggles at this which in turn makes her parents both very happy.

“Izumi, you are the Princess of Master Katara and Fire Lord Zuko. That means there will be mean people who will say horrible things about you or us. You must always try your best to ignore them okay baby? Because all they want to do is see you affected by their horrible words.” Katara tells Izumi, silently recalling how hard her first few years as Fire Lady was. Izumi nods her head and grasps a hand from each parent.

“That or tell me who is saying mean things and we will kick their butt.” Zuko adds. They all share a laugh.

Zuko helps Katara off of the floor and lets Izumi jump into his arms. They hug her from each side, creating what she likes to call an ‘Izumi sandwich’.

“Now, Daddy’s going to get you washed up for dinner.” Katara pulls away just a little to smooth her daughter’s hair.

“What about my dessert Mommy?” Izumi asks as she pouts out her lower lip and blinks her big golden eyes at her mother.

Katara raises her eyes brow, seeing right through her sneaky daughter’s charms.

“Well since some mean ole ladies ruined our game, yes you can have your dessert.” Izumi starts to celebrate. “BUT only after you finish all of your vegetables.” Izumi deflates with a sigh. Katara smiles. “Like father, like daughter.”

She leans up and gives Izumi a kiss on the head, then leans over to give Zuko a kiss to the lips before heading towards the door.

“Where are you going?”

She turns with a smile. “I’m going to tell some mean ladies they are banished from my home.”

Zuko laughs with her.

**Author's Note:**

> I grew a cavity just writing this.  
Love Mom-Katara & Dad-Zuko :]
> 
> & yes, for the sake of our favorite couple, Izumi is totally Katara's <3


End file.
